Injury Prevention

Ice Baths

The most important aspect of endurance sports are the endurance run known as long runs (10 miles+) that enable the body to adapt to greater distance and allow efficient running. However, long runs increase risk to running specific injuries (Patella Tendonitis, Patellofemoral pain Syndrome (PFPS), or Runner's Knee, Calf Strains, Hamstring Strain, Achilles Tendonitis).

Cryotherapy (cold therapy) constricts blood vessels, which decreases metabolic activity so enabling less swelling and tissue breakdown. When the skin is no longer in contact with the cold source underlying tissues warm up, which causes return of faster blood flow and helps return byproducts of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficient recycling by the body.

Ice baths suppress inflammation and also help to flush harmful metabolic debris out of are muscles.

You are able to apply individual ice packs to nurse the muscles but this is not effective as cold-water immersion as this produces a greater and longer lasting change in deep tissues and is a more efficient means of cooling large groups of muscles simultaneously. Water temperatures should be between 50 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit and immersion time should ranges from 10 to 20 minutes.

Strength Training

Why?

Purpose of strength training - Do you want to reach your peak running performance or just to stay injury free and prolong your running body?

Benefits?

Primary benefits are: injury prevention; increased power; increase speed, increased stride length and running economy.

Injury Prevention

Repetitive stress puts pressure on tendons, ligaments, joints and strength training reduces and prevents the occurrence of injuries providing you a defence when one occurs as an improved level of strength will decrease the severity of injuries and decrease recovery time.

Increased Power

In terms of running, power is a function of speed and strength. More simply put, power is the result of the combination of the force or strength of your stride and the velocity or speed of your stride. To increase power of your running stride you have to increase general strength and explosive strength.

General strength - Increase size of muscles fibers - Providing a base for explosive strength training and to prevent injuries. Explosive Strength Training - Improves ability of muscles to generate higher strength levels within a short period of running time, which increases power.

Increased Speed

To increase your running speed you need to improve stride length and rate. Stride length - You should maximize stride length, while maintaining stride rate, in order to run at your best possible pace. You need to maximize stride rate naturally. Do not force an unnaturally long stride this would result in an overstride, which causes a braking action that will slow your running pace down and cause injuries.

Naturally long stride rates will come from a smooth, low-to-the-ground stride that decreases little up and down motion, strong forward knee drive and a powerful push off. Additional several stride elements - General and explosive strength training is the key to developing these form elements.

Running Economy

A reliable predictor to running performance is the velocity of which you can run at V02 Max Levels. V02 Max is max amount of 02 your body can process. VO2 max was the standard measure of potential running performance.

Runners with the highest VO2 max, were expected to have the best performances. Now velocity or speed at which an athlete can sustain while running at their VO2 max levels is the predictor of performance. Reason - Velocity of VO2 max takes running economy into consideration.

Take two runners, which have identical VO2 max levels running together, the one with the most efficient running stride or running economy will be running faster this is because the runner, which has the highest level of running economy will be able to generate a lot more speed with the same VO2 max level.

Running economy - Improved by Maximizing stride length, Maintaining stride rate, improving running form and running smoothly/effortlessly, which means strength training provides the base for all of these improvements.

Luke Quilliam